Automatic car-wheel-flange greaser.



No. 871,549. PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907. M. W. WILLSON.

AUTOMATIC GAR WHEEL FLANGE GREASER.

APPLIC ATION FILED JAN. 7, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATT'Y's lNvENroR. MENDRL W. WILLSON.

PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907.

M. W. WILLSON.

AUTOMATIC OAR WHEEL FLANGE GREA-SER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7,1907.

2 SHBBTSSHEBT 2.

ll-:55 I" lNVELNTOR.

MENDAL W.WH L 5ON.

TTY's.

I STATES PA OFFICE.

' MENDAL W. WILLSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO JAMES R.

WALKER AND ONE-THIRD TO LEWIS P. LEATHERS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC GAR-WHEEL-FLANGE GBEASEB.

Specification of Letters Patent. Applieation filed January 7.1901. Serial Ho. 361.146.

Patented Nov. 19, 1907.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MENDAL W. WILLSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of St.Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Wheel-Flange Greasers, of which the following isa specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming ;a part hereof.

My invention relates to an automatic car wheel flange greaser, and the object of my invention is to provide a simple attachment particularly adapted for street cars which will automatically deliver grease, or a similar lubricant to the flanges of the ear wheels during the time said ear wheels are traveling around a curve of the railway track, which lubricant is greatly beneficial, as it reduces the friction between the ear wheels and the track and guard rails.

To the above purposes, my invention consists in'certain novel features of construction andarrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

e 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a truck, and showing one of my improved attachments carried thereby for delivering grease to the ear wheel flange; Fig. 2 is an elevation of my improved attachment, and showing the grease delivering roller in contact with the flange of the car wheel; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts'seen in Fig. 2 Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a modified form of the apparatus which is to be thrown into operation by means of a fluid pressure cylinder actuated either automatically or by hand.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings:1 designates the track rail, 2 the guard rail, which is positioned in the usual manner adjacent the track rail, and

which guard rail is slightly higher than the top of said track rail.

3 designates the car truck, 4 the car wheels, and 5 the flanges thereof.

6 designates a bracket which is rigidly fixed in any suitable manner to the truck 3,

a and whichextends to a point just inside the ear wheel,and at a. point directly opposite the top thereof; and formed at the upper end of said bracket is a bearing 7, through which is formed a horizontally disposed nonelrcular aperture 8, in which is arranged to slide a bar 9.

10 designates a grease container, in the form of a hollow receptacle, which is fixed in any suitable manner to the outer end of the bar 9, and journaled for rotation in the outer wall of said container is a vertically disposed roller 11, which is adapted to frictionally engage with the flange of the wheel when the container is moved outwardly, and thus deliver grease to said flange.

An opening in the top of the container '10 is normally closed by a screw plug 12, through which opening the grease is delivered to the container, and operating within the container is a vertically disposed follower plate 13, which is moved toward the roller 11 by an expansive coil spring 14, and which is for the purpose of forcing the grease onto the periphery of said roller 11. id

Fixed on the inner end of the rod 9 is a laterally projecting finger 15, and arranged for vertical movement .through an arm 16 is a plate 17, in which is formed a vertically disposed slot 18, the ends of which are offset, or out of vertical alineinent vn'th one another, and throu h which the end' of the finger 15 passes. T liis slot is so formed as that when the plate 17 is at its lowermost position, the finger 15 occupies the upper end of the slot 18, and the rod 9 and grease container 10 are drawn away from the flange of the car wheel; and when said plate 17 is elevated, the rod 9 and container 10 are moved outwardly so that the roller 11 frictionally engages with the car wheel flange.

Extending laterall from the plate 17, immediately beneath t e arm 16, is a lug 19, and interposed between said lug and arm 16 is an expansive coil spring 20, which normally forces the plate 17 downwardly. Formed inte al with the lower end of the plate 17 is a epending rod 21, the lower end of which is providedwith a shoe 22, so positioned as that it will ride on top of the guard rail 2. X

The operation of my improved greasing attachment is as follows: On approaching a curve, the shoe 22 strikes and rides upon the the plate .17, and the er 15 traveling through the slot 18 is shifte laterally, whic action necessarily causes the rod 9 and container 10 to move outwardly, and thus the roller 10 is brought into frictional engagement with the car wheel flange; and as said of the coil spring roller is rotated, the ease on the interior of the container, whic is forced a ainst the roller by the plate 13, is delivere onto the car wheel fla e. As soon as the trucks pass off from t e curve and away from the guard rail on said curve, the weight of the. arm'21, together with the expansive action 20, moves the plate 17 downwardly, and this action draws the container and roller carried thereby away from the flange. A p

In the modified form of the ap aratus shown in 6, the rod 9 is provided on its inner end 'Wllih a piston 23, which operates in a fixed cylinder 24, into-which cylinder fluid pressure is conveyed through a tubular connection 25, and by-means of a valve, (not shown,) which is operated either by a person mounted on the car, or by the lateral swing of the trucks when the enter a curve, said fluid pressure is delivere to the cylinder to move the rod 9. and container 10 outwardly.

, Thus, my improved greasing attachment is entirely automatic in its operation, and the roller which applies the grease to the car wheel flange is only moved into frictional engagement with said flange at the time the trucks enter and pass around a curve.

My improved apparatus is simple in operation, easily installed for use, and can be employed on all forms of trucks. l I claim 1. In a car-wheel flange greaser, a grease container mounted to move to and from the e of a car wheel, there being an opening e front wall of said container, a verticall disposed roller journaled for rotation in v sai opening, and a spring actuated follower plate arranged within the container for moving the grease therein toward the roller.

2. In a car wheel flange greaser, a grease container mounted to move to and from the fla e of a car wheel, there being an opening in ifiie front wall of said container, a verticall disposed roller j ournaled for rotation in said opening, a spring actuated follower plate arranged within the container for movin the grease therein toward the roller, an

means actuated by contact with a guard rail adjacent the track rail for shifting the con-.

tainer laterally.

3. In a car wheel flange greaser, a grease container mounted to move to and from the e of a car wheel, there being an opening e front wall of said container, a vertical] disposed roller j ournaled for rotation in sai opening, a spring actuated follower plate arranged within the container for movin the grease therein toward the roller, an

means whereby said container is shifted laterally to cause the roller to contact with the inside of the car wheel flange. l

4. In a device of the class described, a horizontally disposed bearing, and a bar arranged for operation therethrough, means ally through the beari a ease container fixed on the outer end di theiar, a vertically dis osed contact roller j ournaled in the outer wal of the container, a follower plate arranged within the container, and an expansive coil springpositioned behind the folactuated by contact with a guard rail adjacent the track rail for shifting the bar later-' lower plate for normally forcing the same toward the roller.

In testimony whereof, have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two I 

